![]() ![]() After the 2018 season, he'll turn 26 before netting a record-setting contract in free agency. Harper will soon reap the financial rewards of his decision. He immediately proved he belonged at the highest level by hitting. The prodigy validated his choice by tearing through the minors and making his major league debut at age 19. "I just want to get out of there where I'm getting walked 40, 50 times a year." "High school was a great experience for two years. 1 pick on the 17-year-old.Īs Harper explained in 2009, per 's Keith Law, he wanted to find a greater challenge to accelerate his growth on the diamond. These actions expedited his eligibility to 2010's draft, where the Washington Nationals spent their No. In a sport littered with prospect volatility and prominent busts, the incredibly talented teenager stood out as an eventual top pick destined for stardom.Īfter two dominant years at Las Vegas High School, the young catcher left to pursue a GED and spend a year at a Nevada junior college. Bryce Harper didn't want to wait that long.īaseball's parallel to LeBron James, Harper graced the cover of Sports Illustrated at age 16. Unlike NFL and NBA prospects, baseball players can declare for MLB's amateur draft right out of high school. "But in the end, they knew who they drafted in 2012 in me being a rugby player, and they understood this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, and they have shown nothing but support through this entire journey."īy leaving high school early and getting his GED, Bryce Harper became eligible for MLB's draft at age 17. "It was a lengthy discussion, over many different conversations," Ebner said. His employer allowed him to pursue that dream. In an August interview with USA Rugby's official site, he said he couldn't pass up the chance once the sport was added to Olympic play. He earned Second Team All-Pro honors and his second Super Bowl ring this season, but not before rekindling his first love.Īs the Patriots started training camp, Ebner joined the U.S. Without any high school football experience, the New England Patriots drafted him as a special-teamer with the 197th pick in 2012.Įbner has lasted six seasons with an organization notorious for its lack of loyalty. He continued to play for the IRB Junior World Championships before switching to football as an Ohio State walk-on. national rugby sevens team's youngest player ever. How many athletes have won a Super Bowl months after competing in the Olympics?Īt 17 years old, Nate Ebner became the U.S. Nate Ebner returned to his first sport, rugby, for the 2016 Summer Olympics. It's not the feel-good ending one would want from a Disney movie, but they opened a door for younger players throughout India. Patel didn't last past the Rookie league, and Singh is a free agent after missing the 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery. Both pitchers signed contracts with the Pittsburgh Pirates, becoming the first Indian men to sign with an MLB organization. Bernstein, the sports agent (played by Jon Hamm) who created the contest that discovered Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel. Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, Million Dollar Arm Not as glamorous as trying out for and making the NFL squad on a whim, but Papale's long path still makes for a compelling journey. He then earned a private workout for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played in the semi-pro Seaboard Football League before the sensationalized open tryout, which earned him a spot on the World Football League's Philadelphia Bell. Invincible took some liberties with Vince Papale's path to the Philadelphia Eagles. He allowed eight runs over 15 career innings, and Disney later told his improbable story in The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid as Morris. Honoring a promise to his team, he tried out for MLB squads.Īt age 35, he made his major league debut for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. These are the real stories Hollywood turned into movies.Īfter his baseball career flamed out in the minors, Jim Morris retired and became a high school science teacher and baseball coach. Some plights to the big leagues seem too good to be true. Jim Morris' turn from high school teacher to MLB pitcher was the basis of Disney's "The Rookie." Doug Pensinger/Getty Images ![]()
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